The continent of Africa is known for its banana republics leaving aside a few exceptions. The coup d'etat by military is a Damocles sword that perennially hangs over the heads of its democratically elected leaders.

And
latest to add in this list is Zimbabwe where President Robert Mugabe
has been ruling the country since 1980. In an address to the nation
after taking control of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, an
army spokesman said early Wednesday that the military is targeting
"criminals" around Mugabe, and sought to reassure the country
that order will be restored.

In
Focus

He
remains under detention at his home in Zimbabwe more than 12 hours
after the military declared on national television that it had
temporarily taken control of the country to "target criminals"
around the head of state. The first lady Grace Mugabe was reportedly
out of the country, as military said in its statement that it is
'targeting criminals' around the 93-year-old president.

Former
Vice President Mnangagwa is reported to have returned to Zimbabwe on
Tuesday from South Africa. The military takeover comes two days after
the army chief had warned that he was prepared to step in to end
turmoil in the ruling Zanu-PF party.

It
is likely to signal the departure from power of the world's oldest
leader. And the incident reminds me an Urdu Ghazal:

"Jagah
jee laganey ki yeh duniya naheen hai,

Yeh
ibrat ki ja hai, tamasha naheen hai.

Miley
khak men ahl-e-shan kaisey kaisey,

Makeen
ho gayey la-makan kaisey kaisey.

Hue
namwar be-nishan kaisey kaisey,

Zameen
kha gayee aasman kaise kaise."

(This
world is not a place to cultivate deep sentimental ties. It is not a
gala or carniwal but a source of awe, shock and fear. Gone to dust
the mighty and greats. Rendered homeless the lords of mansions. The
lofty titles are unknown now. The Earth has swallowed the sky of
sorts.)

The
official said that Mugabe would resign later this week and be
replaced by Zimbabwe's former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa,
who was sacked by President Robert Mugabe this week. There was no
independent confirmation of his claim.

President
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was born on 21 February 1924 in Southern
Rhodesia. His father, Gabriel Matibiri, was a carpenter and his
mother Bona taught the village children. They had been trained in
their professions by the Jesuits, the Roman Catholic apostolic order
which had established the mission.

The
Jesuits were strict disciplinarians and under their influence the
developed an intense self-discipline. He excelled at school. However,
in 1930, the family had an argument with one of the Jesuits, and as a
result the Mugabe family were expelled from the mission village by
its French leader, Father Jean-Baptiste Loubiere. They settled in a
village about seven miles away. Father Loubiere died shortly after
and was replaced by an Irish Father Jerome O'Hea. He welcomed the
Mugabe family to return to Kutama. The new father preached an ethos
of racial equality.

Mugabe
was a brilliant student and in 1949 he won a scholarship to study at
the University of Fort Hare in South Africa. There he joined the ANC
(African National Congress). He met there with a number of Jewish
South African Communists who introduced him to Marxist ideas.
However, Mugabe later claimed that despite this exposure to Marxism,
his biggest influence at the time were the actions of Mahatma Gandhi
during the Indian Independence Movement.

Violence
was spreading in Rhodesia as aggrieved black Africans were targeting
the white community. Mugabe deemed such conflict a necessary tactic
in the overthrow of British colonial dominance and white minority
rule. Mugabe was arrested on his return to Southern Rhodesia in
December 1963. His trial lasted from January to March 1964, during
which he refused to retract the subversive statements that he had
publicly made. In March 1964 he was sentenced to 21 months of
imprisonment. While Mugabe was imprisoned, Ian Smith became the
leader of Rhodesia.

While
in prison, his son died of encaphalitis at the age of three. Mugabe
was grief-stricken and requested a leave of absence to visit his wife
in Ghana. His request was denied. While Mugabe was imprisoned, in
August 1964, the Rhodesian Front government arrested all remaining
leaders of the country's African nationalist movement.

In
1972, the African nationalists launched a guerrilla war against
Smith's government. Under pressure from South African Prime Minister,
the Rhodesian white government led by Smith accepted in principle
that white minority rule could not be prolonged indefinitely. In the
1979 general election, Abel Muzorewa, a politically moderate black
bishop was elected Prime Minister.

Returning
to Salisbury in January 1980, Mugabe was greeted by a large crowd.
Mugabe took the oath of his office on 17 April 1980. Rhodesia was
renamed "Zimbabwe" and in 1982, Salisbury – the Capital
was renamed Harare. Mugabe's government continued to make regular
pronouncements about converting Zimbabwe into a socialist society.
However, he did not take effective and concrete steps in that
direction. Mugabe had initially emphasised about the racial
reconciliation and he was keen to build a good relationship with
white Zimbabweans. But many whites remained uneasy about living under
the government of a black Marxist and they also feared that their
children would be unable to secure jobs. By 2000, living standards
had declined and life expectancy was reduced. The average wages were
lower, and unemployment had trebled. Mugabe increasingly blamed the
country's economic problems on Western nations and the white
Zimbabwean minority, who still controlled most of its commercial
agriculture, mines, and manufacturing industry. He called on
supporters "to strike fear in the hearts of the white man, our
real enemy", and accused his black opponents of being dupes of
the whites.

In
October 2017, the WHO (World Health Organization) appointed Mugabe as
its Goodwill Ambassador. It was an unwelcome development which
attracted criticism from both the Zimbabwean opposition and various
foreign governments. It was a well known fact that state of the
Zimbabwean health system was poorest in the world. WHO revoked
Mugabe's appointment a day later.

Rest
is very fresh for the intelligent reader.

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